"In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, the son of Poseidon adds his own magic--and sarcastic asides--to the classics and gives readers his personal take on a who's who of the ancients, from Apollo to Zeus. If you like lots of lying, stealing, backstabbing, and cannibalism, then read on, because it definitely was a Golden Age for all that. Whether you are new to Greek mythology or well versed in it, this highly entertaining volume will make the ancient stories both relevant and impossible to forget"--Page 4 of cover.

Summary

A publisher in New York asked me to write down what I know about the Greek gods, and I was like, Can we do this anonymously? Because I don't need the Olympians mad at me again. But if it helps you to know your Greek gods, and survive an encounter with them if they ever show up in your face, then I guess writing all this down will be my good deed for the week.

So begins Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, in which the son of Poseidon adds his own magic--and sarcastic asides--to the classics. He explains how the world was created, then gives readers his personal take on a who's who of ancients, from Apollo to Zeus. Percy does not hold back. "If you like horror shows, blood baths, lying, stealing, backstabbing, and cannibalism, then read on, because it definitely was a Golden Age for all that."

This novel-sized paperback, complete with an insert of full-color illustrations by Caldecott Honoree John Rocco, is portable and friendly, and the ideal way to introduce young readers to the classic stories. Praise for Percy Jackson's Greek Gods "Percy's gift, which is no great secret, is to breathe new life into the gods. Closest attention is paid to the Olympians, but Riordan has a sure touch when it comes to fitting much into a small space-as does Rocco's artwork, which smokes and writhes on the page as if hit by lightning. . .The inevitable go-to for Percy's legions of fans who want the stories behind his stories." -Kirkus Reviews

"The age-old stories are endlessly strong, resonant, and surprising, while the telling here is fresh, irreverent, and amusing. Percy's voice. . . John Rocco illustrates the myths with drama, verve, and clarity. A must-have addition to the Percy Jackson canon." -Booklist Online

"Combining the sarcasm and wit of Percy Jackson with the original Greek myths is a great way to hook tweens and teens on the stories without boring them. The beautiful illustrations by John Rocco enhance each story. . ." -VOYA

Author Notes

Rick Riordan was born on June 5, 1964, in San Antonio, Texas. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a double major in English and history, he taught in public and private middle schools for many years.

He writes several children's series including Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Kane Chronicles, and The Heroes of Olympus, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, and The Trials of Apollo. He also writes the Tres Navarre mystery series for adults. He has won Edgar, Anthony, and Shamus Awards for his mystery novels. .

Booklist Review

Deities, humans, and creatures from Greek mythology appear throughout the Heroes of Olympus series and the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Here, demigod Percy takes time out from his exciting, but surely exhausting, adventures to present a more organized introduction to Greek mythology and 12 major gods and goddesses, in particular. The age-old stories are endlessly strong, resonant, and surprising, while the telling here is fresh, irreverent, and amusing. Percy's voice, along with the many pop-culture references, may make this a better fit for the fiction shelves than the library's mythology section, but readers will still come away with new knowledge about the deities. Weighing in at over four pounds, this hefty volume is also a tall, handsome one, with fine paper, richly colorful full-page and spot pictures, and simple, attractive borders on pages of text. John Rocco, who wrote and illustrated the Caldecott Honor Book Blackout (2011) and contributed the jacket art for Riordan's Heroes of Olympus and Red Pyramid series, illustrates the myths with drama, verve, and clarity. A must-have addition to the Percy Jackson canon.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2014 Booklist

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-7-When a publisher asks Percy to write his version of the Greek gods' mythology, the result is an easy-to-understand, modern adaptation of the classic stories. Listeners will be drawn into the elaborate soap opera of Greek gods as seen through the eyes of a 13-year-old son of Poseidon. Jesse Bernstein's character voices are as quirky as the gods themselves but make these ancient archetypes relatable to the modern student. This supplement to the popular "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" and "The Heroes of Olympus" series is a must for all libraries with young listeners interested in more stories of the Greek gods. These great narratives could also be used in piece, or in whole, for classes learning about these ancient myths. With Bernstein's spot-on narrative style, they are sure to please even the most finicky listeners. Recommended for fans of the popular series, those interested in Greek folklore, and anyone who likes collections of short, entertaining stories.-Chani Craig. Great Falls Middle and Turners Falls High School. Montague, MA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

Percy Jackson takes a break from adventuring to serve up the Greek gods like flapjacks at a church breakfast.Percy is on form as he debriefs readers concerning Chaos, Gaea, Ouranos and Pontus, Dionysus, Ariadne and Persephone, all in his dude's patter: "He'd forgotten how beautiful Gaea could be when she wasn't all yelling up in his face." Here they are, all 12 Olympians, plus many various offspring and associates: the gold standard of dysfunctional families, whom Percy plays like a lute, sometimes lyrically, sometimes with a more sardonic air. Percy's gift, which is no great secret, is to breathe new life into the gods. Closest attention is paid to the Olympians, but Riordan has a sure touch when it comes to fitting much into a small spaceas does Rocco's artwork, which smokes and writhes on the page as if hit by lightningso readers will also meet Makaria, "goddess of blessed peaceful deaths," and the Theban Teiresias, who accidentally sees Athena bathing. She blinds him but also gives him the ability to understand the language of birds. The atmosphere crackles and then dissolves, again and again: "He could even send the Furies after living people if they committed a truly horrific crimelike killing a family member, desecrating a temple, or singing Journey songs on karaoke night."The inevitable go-to for Percy's legions of fans who want the stories behind his stories. (Mythology. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

SD_ILS:473769

9781484712375

9780606374002

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